UFC on FX 7's Godofredo 'Pepey' out to prove style comes along with substance

SAO PAULO – With his now-signature pink hair, Godofredo “Pepey” Castro de Oliveira (8-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) may very well be one of the infamous “The Ultimate Fighter: Brazil” fighters Dana White chastised for bringing flair over substance to this past summer’s tournament finale. However, the 25-year-old insists that’s not an accurate assessment.

“I listened to Dana, obviously, but we have to do our own promotion, and I can actually fight, too,” Castro told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. “I got to the final, but unfortunately I didn’t make it. Now I’m back.”

A previously undefeated featherweight prospect, Castro earned exhibition-bout victories over Marcos Vinicius, Wagner Campos and Johnny Goncalves to earn a spot in the “TUF: Brazil” tournament final. However, he lost by unanimous decision to Rony “Jason” Mariano Bezerra at this past June’s UFC 147 event, leaving him one win short of the title of the first-ever Brazilian “TUF” winner. Still, his performance on the show was enough to earn him a second look from the promotion, and he now faces submission ace Milton Vieira (13-7-2 MMA, 0-0-1 UFC) on the FX-broadcast preliminary portion of Saturday’s UFC on FX 7 event in Sao Paulo.

A Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, six of Castro’s eight wins have come by way of submission. Add that to Vieira’s record of nine tapouts in 13 total victories, and you have the makings of a potentially explosive grappling affair.

“My opponent is a very strong jiu-jitsu fighter, so I’ve been doing a lot of jiu-jitsu training, and I think it’s going to be a good jiu-jitsu fight,” Castro said.

And perhaps even more importantly, it’s an opportunity for Castro to prove that his run to the finals of “TUF: Brazil” was no fluke. The Fortaleza, Brazil, native believes he belongs in the world’s largest MMA promotion, and he’s intent on proving Saturday night. Sure, there will be some of his characteristic personality, but there’s a fighter beneath that exterior, and “Pepey” is anxious to showcase it in front of his countrymen.

“It’s always a great feeling fighting in the UFC with the best athletes,” Castro said. “It’s a great experience, and fighting in Brazil makes it even better.

“The loss in the final was a short step in my career in the UFC. Now I think I’ve got a long journey ahead of me. I hope that defeat was just a small step that serves as a lesson.”

As the UFC 189 tour made its last stop in Dublin, featherweight champ Jose Aldo was met with a torrent of abuse from the Irish fans. It might have been unpleasant, but it might also have been just what he needed.